Mutasim Ahmed Saleh has linked the sharp decline in living standards to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese boys. ©  Derek Hudson / Getty Images

Poverty in Sudan has more than tripled since the civil war started in April 2023, the country’s minister of human resources and social welfare, Mutasim Ahmed Saleh, has said. 

Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Saleh noted that approximately 23 million Sudanese citizens are now living below the poverty line.  

“The poverty rate in Sudan rose from 21% to 71% due to the war according to official reports,” he said as quoted by Sudan Tribune. 

The minister attributed the sharp rise in the poverty rate to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. He said the government plans to tackle the crisis by expanding job creation and development programs aimed at rebuilding productive sectors. He pledged to introduce reforms to make financing more accessible for local producers. 

READ MORE: Mass devastation in Sudanese city after rebel takeover (VIDEO)

The conflict has devastated local economies and forced millions to flee their homes.   

Sudan’s war and accusations of foreign meddling

Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the national army (Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This occurred after months of tension between their commanders, army generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, respectively, over a planned transition to civilian rule. What began in the capital, Khartoum, as a power struggle has devastated the country, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.

Regional and international peace efforts, including African Union mediation and Saudi–US talks in Jeddah, have repeatedly stalled. Sudanese officials have named Colombians and Ukrainians among mercenaries backing the RSF against the army. Officials have also accused Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates of involvement and recently claimed the European Union has an “incomplete understanding of the complex situation” in the country.

Khartoum has also accused authorities in neighboring Kenya of backing the RSF and has broken ties with the East African grouping IGAD amid mistrust of regional mediation. In July, TASIS, a political coalition aligned with the paramilitary, announced the formation of a rival government months after its members signed a charter in Nairobi. It named Gen. Dagalo as chairman of a 15-member presidential council, a move rejected by the UN and AU.

 

On October 26, the RSF claimed to have seized control of Al Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, and the army’s Sixth Infantry Division command. Later, the Sudan Doctors’ Union said more than 2,200 people were killed within the first few hours of the militia’s entry and 390,000 displaced during the offensive. 

 

READ MORE: A land of mass graves and mercenaries – Can this genocide be stopped?

Another organization, the Sudan Doctors Network, also reported that worsening conditions had led to the deaths of at least three children a day in the city due to food shortages.   

According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in November, around 21.2 million people, or roughly 45% of Sudan’s population, were facing acute food insecurity in September, especially in Al Fashir and Kadugli. 

The World Bank announced in June that the global benchmark for assessing extreme poverty in low-income nations is currently established at $3.00 per person per day.